Growth Analysis of the Sea Cucumber Holothuria (Halodeima) atra (Holothuroidea Aspidochirotida) in Seagrass and Seaweed Habitats
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Abstract
The sea cucumber Holothuria atra is an ecologically and economically important benthic animal. However, biological and ecological data on growth of H. atra in Thai waters are non-existent. Therefore, the present study aimed to obtain and compare growth parameters from length-frequency data of H. atra collected from two habitats. Specimens were collected above ground on intertidal seagrass and seaweed beds along the Andaman coast of Thailand in Satun Province. Theoretical von Bertalanffy growth parameters were analyzed using the ELEFAN I program in the FiSAT II software package. Asymptotic length was smaller and growth coefficient was higher in the seagrass habitat than in the seaweed habitat (L∞ = 32 cm; K = 0.65 year-1 and L∞ = 40 cm; K = 0.55 year-1, respectively). It might be that sea cucumbers in the seagrass habitat survived in the less favorable environment by reaching asymptotic length more rapidly. The more complex structure of the seaweed habitat provides protection and shelter from water movement and low tide stresses. These conditions might be more suitable for growth. The theoretical age at length zero was -0.24 year in the seagrass habitat and -0.27 year in the seaweed habitat. In both habitats, length at birth was around 5 cm. Growth was rapid from age 0-2 years, but slow thereafter, until asymptotic length was reached at around 4 years in the seagrass habitat and 5 years in the seaweed habitat. These findings suggest that different habitats influence the growth of H. atra.
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
References
Ahmed, Q., S. Bilgin and Q.M. Ali. 2020. Comparison of electronic length frequency analysis (ELEFAN) for estimation of growth parameters for lollyfish, Holothuria (Holothuria) atra and sand sea cucumber, Holothuria (Thymiosycia) arenicola (Holothuroidea: Echinodermata) in the north Arabian Sea, Pakistan. Marine Science and Technology Bulletin 9(2): 145-158.
Anderson, S.C., J.M. Flemming, R. Watson and H.K. Lotze. 2010. Serial exploitation of global sea cucumber fisheries. Fish and Fisheries 12: 317-339.
Chao, S.M., C.P. Chen and P.S. Alexander. 1993. Fission and its effect on population structure of Holothuria atra (Echinodermata: Holothuroidea) in Taiwan. Marine Biology 116: 109-115.
Chao, S.M., C.P. Chen and P.S. Alexander. 1994. Reproduction and growth of Holothuria atra (Echinodermata: Holothuroidea) at two contrasting sites in southern Taiwan. Marine Biology 119(4): 565-570.
Choo, P.S. 2008. Population status, fisheries, and trade of sea cucumbers in Asia. In: Sea Cucumbers: A Global Review of Fisheries and Trade (eds. V. Toral-Granda, A. Lovatelli and M. Vasconcellos), pp. 81-118. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, Italy.
Conand, C. 1996. Asexual reproduction by fission in Holothuria atra: variability of some parameters in populations from the tropical lndo-Pacific. Oceanologica Acta 19: 209-216.
Dhinakaran, D.I. 2014. Pharmacological potentials of sea cucumber Holothuria atra extracts from the Indian Ocean. Asian Journal of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences 4: 36-43.
Dhinakaran, D.I. and A.P. Lipton. 2014. Bioactive compounds from Holothuria atra of Indian Ocean. SpringerPlus 3: 673. DOI: 10.1186/2193-1801-3-673.
Dhinakaran, D.I. and A.P. Lipton. 2015. Antitumor and antifungal activities of organic extracts of seacucumber Holothuria atra from the southeast coast of India. Journal of Ocean University of China 14: 185-189.
Dissanayake, D.C.T. and G. Stefansson. 2010. Reproductive biology of the commercial sea cucumber Holothuria atra (holothuroidea: Aspidochirotida) in the northwestern coastal waters of Sri Lanka. Invertebrate Reproduction and Development 54(2): 65-76.
Dissanayake, D.C.T. and G. Stefansson. 2012. Habitat preference of sea cucumbers: Holothuria atra and Holothuria edulis in the coastal waters of Sri Lanka. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 92: 581-590.
Ebert, T.A. 1978. Growth and size of the tropical sea cucumber Holothuria (Halodeima) atra Jager at Enewetak Atoll, Marshall Islands. Pacific Science 32: 183-191.
Fujino, T., H. Sawada, H. Mitamura and R. Masuda. 2017. Single spaghetti tagging as a high‑retention marking method for Japanese common sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus. Fisheries Science 83(3): 367-372.
Gayanilo, F., P. Sparre and D. Pauly. 2005. FAO-ICLARM Stock Assessment Tools II (FiSAT II) User’s Guide. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, Italy. 168 pp.
Gianasi, B.L., K. Verkaik, J.F. Hamel and A. Mercier. 2015. Novel use of PIT tags in sea cucumbers: Promising results with the commercial species Cucumaria frondosa. PLoS ONE 10(5): e0127884. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0127884.
Glockner-Fagetti, A., L.E. Calderon-Aguilera and M.D. Herrero-Pérezrul. 2016. Density decrease in an exploited population of brown sea cucumber Isostichopus fuscus in a biosphere reserve from the Baja California Peninsula, Mexico. Ocean and Coastal Management 121: 49-59.
González-Wangüemert, M., T. Braga, M. Silva, S. Valente, F. Rodriguez and E. Serrao. 2013. Volunteer programme assesses the Holothuria arguinensis populations in Ria Formosa (southern Portugal). SPC Bêche-de-mer Information Bulletin 33: 44-48.
Günay, D., D. Emiroğlu, T. Tolon, O. Özden and H. Saygi. 2015. Growth and survival rate of juvenile sea cucumbers (Holothuria tubulosa, Gmelin, 1788) at various temperatures. Turkish Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 15: 533-541.
Harriott, V.J. 1985. Reproductive biology of three congeneric sea cucumber species, Holothuria atra, H. Impatiens and H. edulis, at Heron reef, Great Barrier Reef. Marine and Freshwater Research 36(1): 51-57.
Hasan, M.H. 2019. Destruction of sea cucumber populations due to overfishing at Abu Ghosoun area, Red Sea. Journal of Basic and Applied Zoology 80: 5. DOI: 10.1186/s41936-019-0074-6.
Herrero-Pérezrul, M.D., H. Reyes-Bonilla, F. García-Domínguez and C.E. Cintra- Buenrostro. 1999. Reproduction and growth of Isostichopus fuscus (Ludwig, 1875) (Echinodermata: Holothuroidea) in the southern gulf of California, México. Marine Biology 135: 521-532.
Indriana, L.F., M. Firdaus, Supono and F.B. Soffa. 2018. Fissiparous sea cucumber (Holothuria atra) population in North Lombok, Indonesia. Marine Research in Indonesia 43: 1-9.
Lee, J., M. Byrne and S. Uthicke. 2008. The influence of population density on fission and growth of Holothuria atra in natural mesocosms. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 365: 126-135.
Li, X. 2004. Fishery and resource management of tropical sea cucumbers in the islands of the South China Sea. In: Advances in Sea Cucumber Aquaculture and Management (eds. A. Lovatelli, C. Connand, S. Purcell, S. Uthicke, J.F. Hamel and A. Mercier), pp. 261-265. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, Italy.
Lovatelli, A., C. Connand, S. Purcell, S. Uthicke, J.F. Hamel and A. Mercier. 2004. Advances in Sea Cucumber Aquaculture and Management. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, Italy. 425 pp.
Mangion, P., D. Taddei, P. Frouin and C. Conand. 2004. Feeding rate and impact of sediment reworking by two deposit feeders Holothuria leucospilota and Holothuria atra on fringing reef (Reunion Island, Indian Ocean). In: Echinoderms: München (eds. T. Heinzeller and J.H. Nebelsick), pp. 311-317. Taylor and Francis, London, UK.
Mercier, A. and J.F. Hamel. 2005. Note on the association between Plakobranchus ocellatus (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Opisthobranchia) and Holothuria atra (Echinodermata: Holothuroidea). Cahiers de Biologie Marine 46: 399-402.
Morgan, A.D. 2012. Use of a growth model to estimate size at age in the temperate sea cucumber Australostichopus mollis. SPC Bêche-de-mer Information Bulletin 32: 24-32.
Nuño-Hermosillo, A. 2003. Ecología poblacional, ciclo reproductivo e historia de la pesquería del pepino de mar Isostichopus fuscus (Ludwig, 1875) Echinodermata: Holothuroidea) en Bahía Chamela, Jalisco, México. Master's thesis, University of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. 121 pp.
Panyawai, J., P. Tuntiprapas and A. Prathep. 2019. High macrophyte canopy complexity enhances sediment retention and carbon storage in coastal vegetative meadows at Tangkhen Bay, Phuket, Southern Thailand. Ecological Research 34: 201-212.
Pauly, D. 1979. Gill size and temperature as governing factors in fish growth: a generalization of von Bertalanffy's Growth Formula. Ph.D. Thesis, Christian-Albrechts-Universität Kiel, Kiel, Germany. 156 pp.
Purcell, S. 2014. Value, market preferences and trade of Bêche-de-mer from Pacific Island sea cucumbers. PLoS ONE 9: e95075. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0095075.
Purcell, S., B.F. Blockmans and W.J. Nash. 2006. Efficacy of chemical markers and physical tags for large-scale release of an exploited holothurian. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 334(2): 283-293.
Purcell, S., C. Conand, S. Uthicke and M. Byrne. 2016. Ecological roles of exploited sea cucumbers. Oceanography and Marine Biology 54: 367-386.
Purcell, S., Y. Samyn and C. Conand. 2012. Commercially Important Sea Cucumber of the World. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, Italy. 150 pp.
Reyes-Bonilla, H. and M.D. Herrero-Pérezrul. 2003. Population parameters of an exploited population of Isostichopus fuscus (Holothuroidea) in the southern Gulf of California, México. Fisheries Research 59: 423-430.
Riaux-Gobin, C. and A. Witkowski. 2012. Small-sized and discoid species of the genus Cocconeiopsis (Bacillariophyta) on Holothuria atra (Juan de Nova, Mozambique Channel). Phytotaxa 54: 43-58.
Ricker, W.C. 1975. Bulletin of the Fisheries Research Board of Canada 191: Computation and Interpretation of Biological Statistics of Fish Populations. Department of the Environment Fisheries and Marine Service, Ottawa, Canada. 382 pp.
Rodríguez-Barreras, R., J. López-Morell and A.M. Sabat. 2016. Effectiveness of two tagging devices in the sea cucumber Holothuria (Halodeima) grisea. Marine and Freshwater Research 68: 563-567.
Satari, H.M., U. Arma, S. Ilyas and D. Handayani. 2017. Anticancer potency of black sea cucumber (Holothuria atra) from Mentawai Islands, Indonesia. Padjadjaran Journal of Dentistry 29: 54-57.
Seeruttun, R. 2008. A study on the factors influencing the growth and survival of juvenile sea cucumber, Holothuria atra, under laboratory conditions. University of Mauritius Research Journal 14: 1-15.
Setyastuti, A. 2014. Echinodermata, Holothuria atra, in an intertidal seagrass bed off The Bama beach, Baluran National Park, East Java, Indonesia. Jurnal Ilmu dan Teknologi Kelautan Tropis 6: 31-39.
Shiell, G.R. 2006. Effect of invasive tagging on the activity of Holothuria whitmaei (Echinodermata: Holothuroidea): A suitable mark-recapture method for short-term field studies of holothurian behaviour. Marine and Freshwater Behaviour and Physiology 39: 153-162.
Siddique, S. and Z. Ayub. 2019. To estimate growth function by the use of SLW index in the sea cucumber Holothuria arenicola (Holothuroidea: Echinodermata) of Pakistan (Northern Arabian Sea). Thalassas 35: 123-132.
Sparre, P. and S.C. Venema. 1989. Introduction to Tropical Fish Stock Assessment-Part 1: Manual. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, Italy. 407 pp.
Toral-Granda, V., A. Lovatelli and M. Vasconcellos. 2008. Sea Cucumbers: A Global Review of Fisheries and Trade. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, Italy. 317 pp.
Uthicke, S. 1997. Seasonality of asexual reproduction in Holothuria (Halodeima) atra, H. (H.) edulis and Stichopus chloronotus (Holothuroidea: Aspidochirotida) on the Great Barrier Reef. Marine Biology 129: 435-441.
Uthicke, S. 1999. Sediment bioturbation and impact of feeding activity of Holothuria (Halodeima) atra and Stichopus chloronotus, two sediment feeding holothurians, at Lizard Island, Great Barrier Reef. Bulletin of Marine Science 64: 129-141.
Uthicke, S. 2001. Influence of asexual reproduction on the structure and dynamics of Holothuria (Halodeima) atra and Stichopus chloronotus populations of the Great Barrier Reef. Marine and Freshwater Research 52: 205-215.
Vidal-Ramirez, F. and S. Dove. 2016. Diurnal effects of Holothuria atra on seawater carbonate chemistry in a sedimentary environment. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 474: 156-163.
Viyakarn, V., S. Chavanich, E. Heery and C. Raksasab. 2020. Distribution of sea cucumbers, Holothuria atra, on reefs in the upper Gulf of Thailand and the effect of their population densities on sediment microalgal productivity. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 235: 106514. DOI: 10.1016/j.ecss.2019.106514.
Xia, S.D. and X.Y. Wang. 2015. Nutritional and medicinal value. In: The Sea Cucumber Apostichopus japonicus: History, Biology and Aquaculture (eds. H.S. Yang, A. Mercler and J.F. Hamel), pp. 353-366. Academic Press, London, UK.